Before its too late
by chloemcg
Summary: At the eve of Surly and Andie's wedding, an old partner of Raccoon's threatens the park and everyone in it as he tries to forcefully take over as leader. Bitter towards Falcon for reasons of his past, Surly tries to get rid of him. But what happens if this is more than meets the eye? Will Surly prove his innocence in time for his and Andie's wedding?
1. 1: Prologue

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Nutjob but I do own the villain, Falcon. I own the plot too.**

**Before it's too late.**

* * *

The rain drizzled softly in the town of Oakton as the town folk and the wildlife kept themselves separate in their ways of survival from a cloud burst such as this. The skies were grey and dull, the rain was soft yet it soaked all who stood beneath the harsh layer of clouds and it was one of the occasional rainfalls this town endured.

_"New beginnings are what this world is about."_ A familiar voice narrated and dubbed over the strangely breathtaking scene _"They come in all shapes and sizes and have many meanings. It can mean someone starting a family or have a sentimental reason. Mine has a very great reason." _

We scroll towards a small tree with red leaves, had a flimsy trunk and wasn't impressive in the least and it even had a small nut cart underneath it and it barely stood out to the rest of the serene rainy day as they gloomy skies darkened around the area as if it sensed the minor crime that was about to be committed. But while human's found this weather an either calming time or even a depressing time, the animals found this cloud to have a silver lining. A rather big one, especially the leader of the heroes of Liberty park.

_"...But sometimes new beginnings can find us when we least expect it." _

Inside a tree with soaking wet lush leaves that stood proudly above a small sales cart beneath it provided the perfect camouflage for a certain species of squirrel and his loyal friend; a rat.

"...Wish me luck for this one, Buddy." A purple squirrel gave his thin rat friend a salute before he performed a sky dive down towards a nut cart. A year or so ago, if you told Surly squirrel that he would cease caring about himself and provide for the park then he would've laughed about it until he was beginning to grey with old age.

Out of all the years that both Surly and Buddy were best friends, never had either of them thought they'd live to see this day in spite of the sour weather of the joyous special occasion. The moist air became condensed in Surly's prune coloured fur coat as his cream underbelly complimented this special colouring.

But this wasn't close enough to be funny, let alone be labeled as a joke. Surly and Buddy had indeed become the self-proclaimed Liberty park food gatherers and they even sometimes had help from the loyal members of the Groundhog siblings, Andie, Grayson and even Mole; whom was still electing a new leader to stick with the park law.

The winter passed surprisingly quickly for everyone and despite this, there was still the slight ice and freezing climate that lingered and made things more difficult as Buddy slowly lowered Surly down towards the cart by tugging on a shoelace that was tied around the unlikely hero's thin waist and slowly making sure he was going down safely whilst he planted both pads of his pink-skinned feet firmly on the tree branch whilst a worried frown plastered itself on the thin rat's face.

Luckily, there was a newly built giant clock tower just beside the nut shop where all of this began which Buddy could constantly spare a sideways glance to as to keep a sharp eye on the time. This was supposed to take 3 minutes if everything went according to plan and if Buddy recalled correctly then this meant that _none _of the plans they came up with went according the plan. The silent rat kept his footing steady upon the branch he stood on as his fur became drenched in the rain that showered down upon the town.

He took a deep inhale of that sweet moist scent in the air. Buddy loved the rain, unlike other rats, and felt beside himself with joy and relaxation! It was this kind of weather when Buddy used to sit beside Surly, despite his sour nature, and reflect on how lucky they are to have each other. He knew that Surly loved those kind of those deep on the inside and now he showed how much he appreciated his company.

The thinly built rat glanced towards the clock once to discover that already a minute had passed and Surly was already gathering some nuts inside a bucket he meant to donate to the park as he stood proudly while scooping up many nuts at once into his arms before dropping it into the bucket.

Buddy's big round ears lifted keenly whilst he listened to the rain trickling upon the leaves above him to cause a soft bunch of rivulets to fall around and sometimes on him. He felt the droplets of rain trickle down against his back as he stared down at Surly's soaking wet form that had more drops of rain dampening his prune fur further if possible. The cart was becoming bronze with a thick layer of rust due to the fact that rain and metal was a volatile combination and the purple squirrel was dimly aware of this dramatic change of footing as he continued scavenging around for nuts.

Buddy's large round eyes widened immensely at the time that shown upon the time the clock tower revealed. They were already half a minute late! Giving a loud whistle to grab the squirrel's attention, Surly looked up towards him and asking whilst arching a brow towards Buddy "Hey, what's the matter?"

Buddy frantically stretched a paw towards the clock tower in a dramatic point, urging Surly to follow the pointing hand up to the clock and he saw that he was a minute and a half late. Grinning giddily with excitement, Surly gave a huge leap towards the bucket and jumped up and down in place while a rush of excitement circulated around his body.

The purple furred squirrel never felt so ecstatic as he knew that it was time for the biggest moment of his life! Surly's heart pounded with a sweet innocence as he reminded himself of a little human boy on the morning Christmas as he danced gleefully around the tree but this wasn't for the exact same reason. The rain felt refreshing as his body was soggy and resembled someone being soaked in depressed as he took a stroll in the thunderous rain but the smile plastered against his face proved the exact opposite.

When Buddy had pulled up the metal bucket and Surly to safety, the squirrel surprised him by enveloping him in a loving hug before gripping his paws inside his own and twirling him on his feet in a dance-like manner.

Buddy grinned equally giddily as he joined in the joyful dancing before they stopped and ran on all fours down the tree and as they felt their fours come into contact with the pavement, their cat-like reflexes showing as they then took off like jets into the tall lush grass that was clearly just as wet as the rain that was falling, they felt like an unstoppable force to reckon with.

A huge smile pulled at the corners of Surly's lips as his eyes constantly scoured his slim body as he registered the many thoughts rushing in and out of his tactically brilliant mind. Eventually he stopped as one particular worry pulsed in his mind and he stood on his hind legs like he would normally do and smoothed his soaking cream chest fur down to make himself look more presentable.

This was the most important day of Surly's mind and he didn't wish to go looking like a depressingly soggy rodent as he used his paws to rapidly smooth out many parts of his cheek fur, shaggy head fur and any other parts that needed tending to grooming-wise.

Buddy skidded to a halt as he checked over his shoulder to find that the squirrel was fussing over his looks as he stood on his haunches and shook his fur to rid himself of the soaking wetness that adorned his body. The rat rolled his eyes while shaking his head but smiled at the same time as if to say 'Oh brother...' and ran to support his friend.

For as long as he knew Surly; Buddy idolised the purple squirrel to be a strong hearted guy even if he never shown it much at all and was a very self confident soul. But now, Surly looked and acted like a frantic geeky teen on a first date he was trying to make perfect for his girl. Actually, he kind of was in a way but Surly wasn't a teen nor a geek. He was on a third date trying to impress his girl, though.

Buddy placed a soothing paw upon his friend's tense shoulder and made the squirrel look him in the eye. The thin rat smiled sweetly at his best friend and sniffed his large pink nose with his large eyes full of confidence and shimmering with this comforting gleam. These all painted a face that assured silently 'Don't worry, you'll be fine' and Surly's smile returned to his muzzle as he once again filled with this admirable confidence.

"Thanks, Buddy. You're the bestest friend a guy could have." Surly smiled sincerely as he pulled the rat he considered a brother in for a kindly embrace and he felt the dampness of the rat's blue-grey fur seep through his dense fur coat and soak into his skin. While Surly wasn't fond of the cold; he wasn't sure he cared right now. He needed to prepare for the move he was about to make and thought how he was going to do it.

Turning on his feet, Surly took in a deep breath before he asked nonchalantly "How do I look?"

Buddy stayed silent as if he was thinking. He didn't want to criticize Surly's style but if he wanted an opinion then he might as well give it. After Removing a small blooming flower from beside his foot, the plant being frozen slightly due to the atmosphere, Buddy tucked the flower into the male adult squirrel's chest and smiled once he set it into place and removed his paws after keeping them pressed gently against the flower.

Surly looked down at the flower for a moment before he gave a genuine look of thanks. Buddy really was a great friend and was truly blessed to know him as he sprinted off to his appointed place with his dripping wet fur soaking wet.

Andie sighed heavily as she leaned against her paw with her chin being propped up by her arm. The auburn squirrel female had been waiting for her date to arrive for 4 minutes now as she blew a small lock of untidy head fur brushing against her eye out of her face.

The moist scent of morning caught her nose as she lifted her head at the sound of scampering feet as she felt the rain trickle down her cheeks as she felt the soothing rainfall fall from the gloomy heavens pour refreshingly against her back and face and dampening her flawless red-orange fur.

Suddenly Surly rushed upon the hilltop she was waiting on whilst she sat cushioned upon the soft blades of fresh grass. Andie smiled at the sight of her boyfriend keeping his promise to come to the hilltop he asked her to.

"Surly!" She exclaimed.

Surly could sense the relief in the female squirrel's voice and he pulled his lips into a kind smile as he teased with a raised brow "What? You didn't think I could make it?"

"Well, considering that you still have to provide food for the park and you keep busy...No, I didn't." Andie remarked with a teasing grin, catching on to the male's playful mocking.

The two squirrels shared a nice moment as they both noticed the rain begin to light up a bit. The sun began to shine meekly through the rain clouds as if the heavens wished to present the couple with a beautiful sight to enrich their few moments of awkward silence. As Andie stared off into the horizon as if to admire its beauty, Surly stared lovingly towards her with a lovesick smile plastered against his muzzle as his head rested against his curled up knuckle.

His heart raced every time he saw her face and the way she took responsibility for everything and how she always stood up for what was right was very admirable to him as she had the true heart of a hero. Not him.

"The view's beautiful, isn't it?" Andie asked softly as she took in every feature the horizon gifted them with such as the brightening morning glow that shone through the gloomy grey clouds looming overhead and the hills a far where matching perfectly to the pretty content atmosphere.

"Yes you are..." Surly murmured softly, not really thinking at all when he said that as he looked lovingly towards her. He then realized what he just said as he quickly rectified it in an almost frantic panicky manner "Uh-Ah-I mean the view is great!" He laughed nervously.

Andie furrowed her brows in a mix of concern and confusion. She never saw the male squirrel in such a state before and she had no clue to why he was acting like this.

Noticing the sudden worry in her emerald green eyes, Surly decided to calm down as he dismissed what he just blurted out. He cleared his throat and let out a deep sigh as he raised a paw to his chest to calm his heart which he felt hammering underneath his palm. Now was the time to make his move as he opened his eyes met hers and Surly clasped two paws in hers as if her own auburn paws were more frail and delicate than glass as he stared straight into her emerald eyes.

They gleamed like stars as they made Surly's breath dissipate into thin air. Never had eyes like hers shone in such a mesmerizing manner as he felt the words he tried to ask constrict his throat.

"I...er...Andie?"

He uttered with sweat soaking through his palms and the bottom of his feet. Surly shook the sweat off his paws floppily as he sighed heavily and looked away from Andie for a moment, the words once again buried in his throat. Andie put a comforting paw upon the male squirrel's shoulder and stared at him even though his head was facing away from her and her ears flattened in concern.

"Surly, are you okay? You've been acting jumpy for awhile..."

She could see that Surly was trying to tell her something but she couldn't tell what. Andie felt Surly's shoulder tense underneath her touch and this made him look back at her as he squeezed his eyes shut and he bit his bottom of his lip so hard that it was close to actually bleeding. He appeared to be struggling keeping this suppressed any longer so with a quivering voice he spilled the beans.

"I'M ASKING YOU TO BE MY MATE!" Surly basically screamed and watched through steamed pants of frustration as Andie removed her paw and put it over her mouth gobsmacked. Surly felt a echoed version of his own voice gnawing at the back of his voice as he slapped a claw upon his forehead "_Nice going, idiot..."_

Andie looked shocked by this as she tried to let it all sink in. Surly sighed and knelt down as he cupped both his paws upon hers again as he repeated in a softer voice and he softened his gaze as he looked at her with soft chestnut orbs that complimented his purple fur like they were born to match up "...I want to spend the rest of my life protecting you, Andie, and with you're permission I'm asking for you're paw in marriage."

Andie's mouth was gaping with awe as she stared off into space as if many thoughts darted through her mind like shooting stars. Surly felt worried by the distant expression painted on the auburn-furred beauty's face and felt his gaze casting downwards towards the shadow below his knelt form as his ears lowered. He KNEW she wouldn't say 'yes' and that he was rushing into things!

He mentally smacked his head as he begun to rethink the idea as it felt like an eternity of waiting for her to react. Surly yanked at his pointy ears fearfully and opened his mouth to say something but before he could do anything; he was pulled towards by two familiar slim arms belonging to a certain female squirrel whom he cared for so much and he found that his lips had met hers lovingly.

The rain continued to 'pitter-patter' against the background as sunlight meekly greeted the scene and danced around the couple as Surly's connected lips was hesitant even if he passionately kissed her back as his eyes full of shock closed as he snaked his arms around her to hold her back. He gasped inwardly in shock as his entire body buzzed in joy of the fact that _she _was kissing _him! _

They kissed for a long time until they broke away for air as Surly's eyes flicked open simultaneously with hers as he asked her after a brief moment of pure silence "...I don't get it. We've only had 3 dates and you wanna do this?"

"Surly, I've never wanted anything else since the day we met."

Andie smiled sweetly and sincerely as she allowed her fingers to intertwine with the male squirrel's and she smiled wider as she looked into Surly's eyes. They were filled with a certain joy as his expression remained hopeful and Surly wasted no time in taking her paw and planting a light kiss on it, making Andie have a reddish tinge underneath her creamish face where her cheeks were supposed to be.

The pair of squirrel's stayed in each other's embrace as they reluctantly stared away from each other to look at the rainy-sunny horizon as they became lost in each others' embrace and Surly felt his soft smile brighten as he felt the weight of her head rest against his thin, smaller shoulder. He seized this opportunity to plant a loving kiss upon Andie's cheek and the realisation hit him and sank in fully.

She said yes.

Letting his joy take complete hold of his mental being; Surly used some strength he found out of nowhere and lifted Andie up just barely off her feet and spun them both around upon their feet as if they were both lighter than air even though he couldn't hold her anymore and the two of them tumbled backwards as they rolled down the hill.

Even though the rain drizzling from the skies were dampening their fur even further to the point of being a risk of the both of them catching pneumonia, neither of them cared as the sound of Surly's voice catching the wind as hysterical glee expressed throughout the single word of utter cathartic-ness yowled from the male squirrel:

"SHE SAID YES!"

Mean while, watching from the sanctity of a nearby tree branch near a park bench, Buddy smiled warmly as he gave a silent heartfelt nod of congratulations despite his pale blue fur being soaking wet from being out in the rain for awhile. He smiled with tearful eyes as he rubbed excitable paws together in hopes of suppressing a a dance of joy that his best friend was getting married.

Buddy's ears twitched at the sound of something beside him and he glanced to his side to find that a familiar gray squirrel was climbing on to the branch beside him whilst staring off into the rat's direction towards the hill and mutely interested in what was going on. Grayson slowly turned his head to one side as he shrugged and asked awkwardly with a half smirk "...What'd I miss?"

But something was telling the thin rat that something was wrong but decided to push this aside as now was a time of celebration instead of a time of worry and caution.

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**A/N: Sorry if I made Surly out of character in this first chapter. I promise you that he will be better in this story but this is my FIRST 'The Nut Job' fanfic besides my crossover. **

**Sorry but I HAD to make something big going on and a wedding was the only thing I could think of. Besides, the romantic fan girl inside me was screaming for me to do this. **

**This is basically my take on the upcoming sequel and how on earth does this add up to the sequel, you may ask? Find out in the next chapter! **

**Also we might see a reason for Surly's hatred for Raccoon in this. **

**I hope you all like this and once again, this is my first Nut job fanfic so go easy on me. I would appreciate it. **

**-Chloemcg**


	2. 2: Before the wedding

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Nutjob but I do own the villain, Falcon. I own the plot too.**

**Before it's too late.**

* * *

2 months later...

Andie stood in the hollow tree as she tied her hair back with a few twigs she scavenged around for outside as she stared wistfully out towards the circular opening, her auburn fur glistened in the spotlight of the park's lush outdoors as the air tingled at her nose. She had been engaged for 2 months and three days now and this was the day of the wedding that both she and Surly had been awaiting patiently for all this time.

While the team was excited; the feeling wasn't mutual for the other park residents. Everyone still distrusted Surly despite all the food he gathered for them, even though it was enough to feed the park for months at a time and Andie could see the slight discouragement in her mate to be's eyes every time he and Buddy are shunned by the others but he refuses to receive the hero treatment all the same and she could tell that Buddy comforts him because every time she sees him return from a day of thievery, it is like a light returned stronger then ever inside Surly's eyes and she felt so happy that the spirit he shown was not so easily extinguished by distrust.

Her emerald eyes brightened at the sound of a thick Brooklyn-accented feminine voice from behind her "Hey, Andie!"

Andie looked over her shoulders and turned on her feet to find that there was Precious, the pug, standing outside with Jamie the groundhog standing upon her sandy coloured back as she grasped a rectangular shaped piece of bark in her paws that carried a few things such as a lump of tree sap and some other things.

"Jamie! Precious!"

Andie ran towards her friends and greeted them each with a nice hug, although Precious obtained a hug around the neck due to the fact that she wasn't small enough to receive an entire hug but the dog seemed to have liked it all the same.

"Don't be so surprised to see us, girl, it is yer wedding after all."

Jamie patted Andie upon the shoulder with a grin even if her usually tough eyes were unusually soft and compassionate. Andie could feel by the hard embrace that Jamie was really protective of her and wanted nothing more than to feel safe. Eventually, she peeled herself away from the groundhog's embrace and sat down somewhere so Jamie could decorate her fur for the special occasion.

"Girls, I feel a little jumpy..."

Andie flattened her ears as she admitted this, hanging her head slightly. It was true in a way and this nervousness was something that had been giving her a constantly bad case of insomnia throughout the entire night as nightmares had been engulfing her mind for the past while.

Jamie sighed and pressed a hand to the female squirrel's face and making her look at her. The female groundhog may not have been a love expert entirely but she knew how it felt to make a life changing decision and because she was shorter then her twin brothers, she felt insignificant before she met Andie and now she had to return the favor.

"Andie, I may not be an expert on this kinda thing..." The pudgy brown furred rodent said slowly before she flashed the girl a genuine sweet smile "But I can tell that even though that dumb squirrel, Surly, never shown it; he cared deeply about 'cha and would never let anything bad happen to ya."

"Is that why you tried to punch him when he and Grayson came to rescue us the night Raccoon betrayed us?" Andie remarked with a raised brow, jokingly curious.

"Hey, I was still mad at 'em for hurting Buddy's feelings."

"You seem to like Buddy a lot, don't you?"

Jamie felt a deep blush creep upon her muzzle. She did have a long time crush on the rat and had deep feelings towards him even if he was the best friend of Surly. The fact that the silent little rat was so loyal and kind hearted compared to the other gnarly, toothy rats whom only looked after themselves was something that the female groundhog adored about him...Not that he noticed her feelings towards him.

Jamie's heart dropped like a stone into her stomach as she felt as if a secret she had kept for her entire life had just been blown and exploited.

Feeling the blood rush to her face made the female groundhog lower her head a little as her entire face lit as red as the 'stop' signal of a traffic light.

"Ooh! She DOES have a crush on Buddy!" Precious exclaimed as her curled tail wagged a little to show how happy she was for the occasion. Her scrunched up ebony snout pulled into a smile as she panted with her long tongue hanging out one side of her mouth. Both the bride-to-be and the canine companion looked at the passive aggressive groundhog and to their not-so surprise, Jamie's brows scrunched against her honey brown eyes as she grumbled whilst turning away from the two "Shut up, ya pair of bums."

The girls burst into utter laughter as they continued to prepare themselves for the wedding that was to take place near the burnt down oak tree later that day. They stayed in the tree of the park and had some girly chats and gossip but little were they aware of that on the other side of Oakton, there was already a bachelor party of some sorts going on.

Surly, Buddy and the twins all ran across the flat rooftops with sacks of nuts being hauled over each of their shoulders. Surly led the group of three down to a small back garden belonging to someone living in a flat where Surly begun splashing some of the nice cool liquid to his face so he could cleanse himself from the heist that just transpired.

Originally there was a few birds whom were soaking up in the warm washing up bowl but were quite literally kicked out when the presence of a familiar purple squirrel made itself known by being harshly knocked off.

The rat and duo of groundhog stood around the squirrel who was clearly nervous due to the fact that he constantly shook in place as if he was hyped up on caffeine. "Hey, Surls." Jimmy drew the squirrel's attention by grabbing his shoulder "Are ya excited 'bout tyin' the knot?"

Surly let out a heavy breath from his throat as he placed his paws over his closed eyes, water trickling from them like tears originating from his palms. He was excited about being with Andie like he dreamed of but he didn't know if he would be the best choice for her. While Grayson was a bumbling, incompetent squirrel with the IQ of a goldfish; he had the body build and abilities to protect her whenever she needed help. He didn't.

Surly looked down into the vague reflection that shimmered against the wavelets of crystal clear waters that was so shallow that it only reached past the purple squirrel's ankles. His reflection matched his own perfectly despite it being continuously altered by the rippling ankle-deep water as Surly had his glance downcast even if he had noticed that the reflection had a look of pure despondence.

The male squirrel lifted his head at the fact that a small weight laid upon his left shoulder and glanced over his shoulder. It was Buddy who was sending him a comforting smile to him with his big eyes soft and considerate.

The twins also stepped up and gave the squirrel a supportive thumbs up as Johnny smiled along with Jimmy.

"Don't worry 'bout what the other members of the park thinks, pal. We support ya decisions and always will."

Surly smiled a little heartfelt smile towards his friends. Never had such a whirlpool of emotions webbed with how much concern he had for his future but now, with his friends there, his worries melted almost immediately.

"But what if I'm not the husband I need to be for her?" Surly voiced a big portions of his concerns in that one query.

Buddy gave a small frown for a moment but it turned into a grin as he bounced off the circular rim of the bird bath, climbed a pipe that leaned against the nearby house until he landed on a satellite dish and pointed over towards a certain direction and then looked down at the twin Groundhog and his best friend/partner in crime. Giving each other a quick glance of confusion; the three picked up the nut sacks they each carried and followed the thin little rat until they were beside him whilst following his point.

As a stroke of sunlight rushed by their small forms, the group of rodents stared right towards Liberty park as the golden glow of the skies lit the area up into a fantastic array of shades colouring from bright yellow to a dark amber. Surly looked to the pack he was originally running with and Buddy never let his point down as he pointed to a specific tree that grew on the outskirts of the park which they all knew was the tree where Andie made her home.

Was Buddy telling Surly to go to her?

The prune coloured squirrel smiled warmly as he lugged the heavy sack of nuts over his shoulder and spared the pack of male rodents the most sincere smile he could give before he leapt down to a lower platform down below as he climbed up a street lamp pole and inched his way towards the park in a four-legged dash with the small form of his bushy tail blowing in the air like a kite as he slowly disappeared from view and Buddy along with the Bruiser brothers rushed back the longer way as to avoid getting run over by cars.

Surly smiled an almost mischievous smile as he ran on all fours across the park as he felt his rich plum fur blow against the gentle breezes of the moist texture which could only symbolise the upcoming of Summer, the busiest time of all four seasons. He could hardly wait to see his bride to be as he basically dashed through the tall blades of grass like a dart until he finally reached the tree he sought for.

He carefully walked up to the front of the tree and knocked against its bronze bark to announce his presence, catching the attention of Precious whom stooped down upon her front paws as she began to lick the squirrel happily despite him trying to push her away through contagious laughter.

"Alright, alright, get off!" He chuckled through his paws trying to shove her muzzle and tongue away from him.

Smiling, Andie poked her head out through the opening of the tree and sent her husband-to-be a playful glare "Didn't you know that its rude to interrupt or even see a bride before her wedding?"

Surly jumped upon his pug friend's back before leaping in through the tree opening and stealing a quick kiss from Andie, his tail fluffing up due to the fact that he was very happy.

Jamie and Precious quickly departed from the scene as they rushed out to leave the pair of squirrels alone.

Andie looked at the back Surly had slung over his shoulder as she asked him "Did you have a nice time with the guys?"

"Yep I did, Andie." Surly smiled.

The duo pressed their noses against each other as they took in everything about each other. Their foreheads touched as each of their bushy tails curled up around their bodies as they each felt like a jigsaw puzzle falling into place as the sunlight beamed in through the circular entrance of the tree to touch their bodies.

Both Surly and Andie just felt like they were doing the right thing and were the happiest they ever thought they could be.

But as they decided to leave the kiss until they were married, they were highly oblivious to the fact that someone just might threaten their happy future.

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**A/N: Oooh. It would seem that not all is what it appears and now our heroes just might be in danger. What do you guys think will happen? Don't worry, this won't all be fluffy and adorable. There WILL be some other scenes and I thought that I'd move the wedding up to the third chapter if that's ok.**

**What do you guys think of this, BTW? **

**I hope you like it!**

**-Chloemcg**


	3. 3: Wedding disaster

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Nutjob but I do own the villain, Falcon. I own the plot too.**

**Before it's too late.**

* * *

The peaceful silence was so thin that nobody dared to shatter it. All the park's inhabitants had sought out shelter underneath the largest tree that stood in one of the furthest corners of the park.

Everyone waited patiently for the bride to come forth so she could come down the isle. Surly stood in front of an arch that was made from two halves of a thin branch that had fallen to the ground and snapped in two on impact then was tied up around the top to actually give it an arch mould.

Surly and Buddy stood at the alter as they waited for Andie to gracefully walk down the isle but they ignored mole whom stood right behind them as he stood at a small podium that he had made himself just for this occasion. The gentle sunlight was mostly blocked out by the thickly dense leaves that grown in the tree hanging above the group of rodents heads even if the shade was partly working.

Some small streams of sunlight poked through the gaps in the leaves as everyone waited patiently for the bride whilst the groom was practically a nervous wreck. Even though Surly basically sweated bullets through his palms and feet and his breathing was noticeably ragged, Buddy gripped hold of his best friend's sweaty paw for support and Surly couldn't help but smile a tiny bit.

It was clear that while the rat and the purple squirrel had a strange friendship, they never allowed anything to stand in their way whatever obstacles they faced. Surly sent a small nod of thanks to the rat as he didn't release his friend's claw.

The furry group sent distasteful glares to the groom as they still had yet to trust him considering the fact that the purple rouge squirrel had never helped the park until now and was now getting married to the park's most kindest soul. It all seemed too surreal.

The atmosphere was so silent that you could just drop a penny and everyone would scatter to the edges of the park before waiting a whole hour for them to come back!

Surly swallowed a knot constricting his throat as he felt fear's icy grip squeeze him tight and refuse to release him since he felt like a boulder was squishing his sides to make it increasingly harder for him to breathe. But then the soft, gentle twitters of birds singing a melodic tune broke everyone out of their uncomfortable silence and drew everyone's attention towards the outer shade of the park as they all saw Andie gracefully approaching the alter.

Surly felt the imaginary weight lift off his shoulders; enabling him to breathe, and he felt the breath heaving in his throat dissipate into thin air as he saw how beautiful she looked as the female squirrel walked into the shade of the tree so everyone could see her.

Andie wore a beautiful flower crown upon her head and she clutched a small cluster of multicoloured flowers that fashioned a miniature bouquet. Her fur was incredibly shiny as it formally glittered in the sparkling sunlight and her bushy tail was specially decorated for the momentous occasion. The bride smiled sweetly towards the groom in an affectionate way as Surly felt his heart beats become irregular from how happy he was.

Never in a million years did anyone see this coming: Surly getting married to Andie! For the gang it was a dream come true but for the parks residents...They didn't know how to react.

After the announcement of the fact that Surly and Andie were to be mates spread like wildfire, everyone was hesitant on allowing Surly any access into the park but the reassurance of the others had calmed everyone's nerves just so slightly and Grayson accepting Surly had made it all the more easier for Surly to be allowed access into the park but everyone was still afraid of him.

How did Grayson feel about this? Surprisingly, he took it better then anyone ever expected. Sure he was surprised at first and was merely parroting everything that was being said to him but once it sunk in, he gave Surly a hug of congratulations, announced that he was going to try and find another female squirrel by travelling to another park in Oakton and staying there for awhile to make peace as rival parks weren't exactly at strong terms with each other.

Grayson didn't leave yet but was going to depart on his quest soon and the Eastern grey squirrel even felt happy to hear about Surly and Andie's wedding! Even though it was plain as blank paper that Grayson was having trouble letting this one go...

Waiting for Andie to walk down the isle felt like an eternity to Surly as he watched her angelic form gracefully wander towards the arch but he loved every second of it. Seeing that adorable smile upon her muzzle just made Surly's heart gladsome to even know her.

Ever since the proposal; Surly had made sure his bride to be was as happy as could be. He even got her some peanut brittle on occasion to spoil her a little but, kind as Andie was, she shared it with a little chipmunk pup who was constantly bullied by her siblings.

Truth be told but Surly was proud to know such a selfless girl let alone be her betrothed!

Eventually, she managed to make it by Surly's side and the two stood side by side before Mole who spoke in a loud yet normal voice "Animal brethren...We are gathered here today to witness Surly and Andie squirrel become mates."

Several murmurs were heard in response but Surly nor Andie could help but feel that something was wrong. Those mutters and whispers of breeding gossip didn't sound the least bit in agreement of the wedding plans and the male and female squirrel frowned at this before giving each other a sideways glance as if they were thinking the same thing: the others hated this idea.

It appeared that the Bruisers had noticed this and were silently threatening to harm the others as they used violent gestures and this instantly made the residents cease their doubtful clusters of mixed muttering as they flashed them fearful glares from where they stood.

Mole brushed this aside as he continued with a nice, meaningful monotone.

"Even though we have had some struggles with survival, our park has come through stronger than before because of the conjoint effort of Surly and Andie. The others too but we'll get to that later..."

Mole concluded the introduction of the wedding and this caused slightly louder mutters to erupt from the park residents. It was clear that the Brusiers Precious and Grayson all were annoyed by this comment as they rolled their eyes and gave groans. Even Buddy seemed to be mildly put off by the fact that Mole didn't bother to add them.

A slight indignation filled the air as Mole noted that he had been kind of insensitive to the rest of the team as he decided to make amends before this got out of paw or claw as he thumped a curled fist against the wooden podium, causing the entire stake-shaped piece of dismantled wood to cause a huge 'ka-thump' noise as it dug deeper into the ground, re-grasping everyone's attention.

After that startling noise; everyone stared at the blind furry rodent with wide eyes filled with curious yet unsettled eyes.

It seemed that while the mole was acting as a temporary leader, everyone feared him like he was the real thing since park law labeled him as the leader for now.

Mole put a tri-fingered claw to his throat and tapped it. He licked his dry lips before he continued the speech to continue the wedding, his partially quaky voice mingling with how strong it was "But, enough about that. Todays the day we unite both Surly and Andie as mates! Is there any objections to these two being married?"

Surly and Andie's eyes tore apart from each other for a few anxious moments as each of their gazes fell upon the furry crowd that stood before them. Both of their hearts thumped within their chests as they could have sworn that they were nervously sweating once again for what felt like the _millionth _time as they searched for a single paw raised.

The pair of squirrel's pictured dozens of scenarios in their heads as those few seconds had become slow. It was if time had decided to poke some unfunny humour at them by slowing down the moments as both Surly and Andie stared at the many residents with wide eyes that gleamed with slight fear.

They both worried that someone -_anyone_- would object.

Mole looked over the edge of the podium he stood at and his half blind eyes scanned over the entire crowd of mammals that stood before him. Despite the fact that his eyesight was poor from being exposed to sunlight, Mole could vaguely see that nobody was raising their paws although he was unaware that one paw was just inches from being partly raised.

Standing in the furthest corner of the crowd, the Bruisers were glaring down at Grayson whom almost had his paw raised. Jamie, Jimmy and Johnny gave separate scowls as they all turned their heads to the athletic Eastern grey squirrel with three paws each clenched tightly into fists as their eyes narrowed in a silent threat.

Grayson's ears flattened guiltily.

"No, Grayson..."

Jamie growled whilst gently pushing Grayson's paw down and listened to the sad whimpers of detest he let out. Grayson was still respected as the park hero but his true colours had been shown and Jamie decided that he needed to get his head out of his tail...even though her brothers were blind to it.

"Oh fine..." Grayson grumbled in defeat as he reluctantly lowered his paw yet he watched with keen interest.

The group of animals looked thoughtfully at Mole whom decided to continue the wedding speech as he got on to the vows that had been so long anticipated as multiple questions flooded everyone's minds like worker bees, whom were left without a queen, to a hive.

Would Surly back out?

Would Andie come to her senses and call this whole thing off?

It seemed that Surly and Andie were now relaxed as they both stared intently into each other's eyes. The pair felt their hearts beat in harmonic beats as lime green irises stared adoringly into the hazel brown ones in front them. Only their breathing could be heard between them as they blocked out each and every other sound that bleated between them as they felt images of what their future would be like flood through their minds.

Both the prune and the auburn squirrel connected their paws and allowed their fingers to lace through the gaps and allowed them to intertwine as their pulses matched perfectly.

Buddy watched this touched as he stood behind Surly with big tears welling up inside his large eyeballs, already taking over half his eyes. The small, skinny rat felt so overjoyed that his best friend was now getting married right before his eyes and he sniffed through a blocked nose that had made it visible that he had even been crying tears of utter glee. It was then that his circular ears flutter at the sound of the very faint sound of...flapping wings?

"Ahem."

Mole proceeded to once again hawk up a blockage that choked his throat up and dusted his ebony furry chest off to make himself look all the more formal to begin the infamous, yet corny, wedding vows.

"Do you, Andie Squirrel, take Surly to be your lawfully wedded mate. To hold, love and cherish for the rest of you're days?"

"I do." Andie nodded with a sweet smile as she stared sweetly into her mate to be's eyes. It was clear, judging by the tone behind her lovely voice, that she had made her mind up ages ago and was certain that Surly was the one she wanted to be with.

Surly smiled. For the second time in his life, he felt so happy to be hearing that short answer of agreement coming from Andie's lips and he loved the very fact that he was about to say 'yes' to such a sweet face that melted his heart.

It was hard to believe that Surly was once a selfish squirrel thief who wanted nothing more than independence and now was about to marry the girl of his dreams!

"And do you, Surly Squirrel, take Andie to be you're lawfully wedded mate. To hold, love and cherish for the rest of _you're _days?"

Surly felt the words get tangled like a web within his throat. He knew the answer and exactly how to respond to that question! With a soft smile, Surly took a sharp intake of breath as he opened his mouth to prepare himself to answer this question. This is it, he though with a huge smile on his heart, Here I go!

"I-" The words got stuck in his throat again whence Surly's ear twitched against the increasingly loud flapping of wings beating against the skies. The purple squirrel was confused as he reluctantly glanced upwards over his shoulder to investigate the noise but the way was blocked by the many leaves obstructing the sky so he couldn't even look.

His eyes narrowed suspiciously as those wing flaps began to get louder and louder with each nano second that passed. Surly quickly looked over towards Buddy whose eyes were growing more and more concerned.

"Surly, what's wrong?" Andie asked worriedly; knowing fully well that Surly wasn't one to stop what he was saying, let alone doing, unless it was gravely important. The purple squirrel didn't reply but instead listened keenly to those large flapping wings that plagued his ears. Why did they sound so familiar? But then it hit him as Surly yelled as loud as he could whilst shoving Andie down to the ground below "EVERYBODY, GET DOWN!"

Everyone done as ordered and dived to the floor beneath them to discover that Surly was correct to worry as a huge bird with dark brown feathers and a sharp beak had tore through the leaves which blocked the view of the sky above and thus allowing some sharp streams of sunlight to break through and burn right into mole's light-sensitive vision.

"Gah! My eyes!" Mole yelped out while trying (and failing) to shield his squinty eyes from the sunlight up above by covering his eyes with his claws.

The mysterious bird cackled evilly as he stared down at the many animals whom had gathered for the occasion. Surly had his arms wrapped protectively around Andie to shield her from any attacks that the bird might inflict and she was still attempting to get over the shock of the sudden attack the bird had just tried to do.

The raisin furred male squirrel peaked over his shoulder with anger burning in the pits of his chestnut hued eyes and growled out a certain name that was dripping with a distain that could burn right through the durable of steel like acid.

"Falcon..."

Falcon sneered down towards the groom and bride whilst stooping the upper half of his body to meet the eyes of the pair of squirrel's "Hmm? What's this?"

The bird scanned the unlikely couple carefully with hawk-like eyes. He took his time with trying to identify the male who seemed to have recognised him clearer than day and it appeared that Falcon faintly recognised him back.

The pieces clicked together inside Falcon's mind as he now recognised whom this purple squirrel was. Sneering a sneer, the predator bird mocked with an almost serpent-like voice "Ah, yes. You are that little runt offspring of Robin." he gave a mock bow with his gigantic wings spread out to the sides gracefully "Nice to see you again, you useless rodent."

Andie could feel Surly's grasp on her tighten considerable and she couldn't help but take note that the groom's breathing had become shallow and slow as if he was becoming steadily angry with each moment that had passed. The prune coloured squirrel let out a small growl as he held Andie close to him, gritting his teeth sharply as his protective instincts took over.

The residents of the park slowly backed away whilst Precious charged forwards, growling hotly at the bird, and getting down to her front paws as her face twisted up in protective anger. The pug charged at the bird but not before he hissed back at her, making the pug instantly cower in fear as she dropped to her stomach whilst giving the bird the biggest puppy dog eyed look possible as high pitched whines escaped her throat.

It was clear to everyone that there was not a soul on earth who did not harbour any fear for the giant bird as they all backed away, everyone bar the bruisers and Grayson, as the team decided to intervene before things took a terrifying turn. Grayson rushed to Andie and Surly even though the groundhog siblings went to help Buddy with advising a plan to help scare off the falcon.

Surly could feel nostalgia plunge into his back like a cold knife as he stared at those familiar piercing red eyes that plagued him since childhood. The purple squirrel male gave a glare as he tried to stand his ground instead of doing the opposite and cower before the bird much like his pug friend was but everyone could sense the consternation leaking from the former rouge and his thin arms may have enveloped Andie but it was far from enough to protect her properly.

His heart thumped inside his ears as Surly looked around for an answer to get his mate to be to a safe place but found that it would prove futile unless she was taken somewhere far from the park but he could also feel the fear stiffen the usually confident female squirrel as her face was buried in his purple-cream underbelly and he could feel it become gradually soaked in what he assumed to be tears of fright.

Was she crying?

Surly wouldn't be surprised if she was considering the obvious fact that having a giant predator bird crash your wedding wouldn't be too good and would make you cry too no doubt.

A feeling of sympathy sunk to the very pit of Surly's stomach as his eyes softened to his sobbing mate to be. He never thought his wedding day would turn out this way as he saw Grayson approaching as he was sprinting through the tall grass with a look of deepest urgency.

Once the Eastern grey squirrel was within inches of the purple one, Surly passed Andie to Grayson and gave him very simple instructions.

"Grayson, you go and take Andie somewhere safe and bring the others with you. I'll stay with the Bruisers and Buddy and try and bring that monster down."

"But how do you know-?" Grayson started to ask but Surly just yelled loudly with urgency lacing his each and every single word, cutting him short "GO!"

Grayson ran away at that one yelp as he held Andie in his stronger arms and as he began to evacuate the others to safer pastures, Surly gave a nod in his direction.

His eyes were narrowed determinedly as he looked in the direction of the many fleeing animals before he turned his attention back to the flapping and snapping predator.

Surly really hoped that he would be able to apologise thoroughly for this and make it up to Andie as he felt deeply sad that his and her special day had been ruined by this violent take over. Closing his eyes for a moment, Surly ran to Buddy who was wordlessly consulting with the Bruisers to have a 'plan B'.

As Buddy set the three off to attack Falcon, Surly asked with his head hung and his eyes downcast with Buddy flashing his best friend an equally sympathetic frown "...Why is this happening, Buddy?"

* * *

**A/N: Oh no! Someone HAS ruined the wedding! Who is Falcon you may ask? Find out in the next chapter. Anyways, I named Surly's dad after Robin Hood since my younger brother made the comment that Surly basically becomes Robin Hood at the end of the first movie. **

**I thank you guys for liking this and hope to see more reviews soon. :)**

**What do you guys think Surly's reasons for hating Falcon is? And how does Falcon know his dad?! **

**-Chloemcg**


	4. 4: The invasion

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Nutjob but I do own the villain, Falcon. I own the plot too.**

**Before it's too late.**

* * *

Grayson carried Andie in his strong arms as he ran upon his hind legs, herding the many fleeing mammals towards a safe haven in a small thicket of the park like a sheepdog to a flock of sheep.

They were all running for their lives after a Falcon came to destroy the wedding of Surly and Andie. It was clear that while the interruption was disheartening for the bride, most of the other animals didn't really seem to care right now and were worried about their own lives. The pack ran quick upon their hunches as they felt their presence slightly hidden by the tall blades of lush green grass poking out from the soil beneath their feet.

The flapping more pairs of feathery appendages sounded loud and clear as Grayson placed Andie to her haunches so she could stand on her own as the squirrel announced in a low yet bold whisper "Alright, civilians. You go and hide while I, the park hero, go fend off that nearby feathered demon."

Before Andie or anyone else could object, however, the taller Eastern grey squirrel dashed out into the open and left the furry group to fend for themselves.

An apprehensive, daunting atmosphere brushed over the entire group as each of their eyes were filled with the exact same fear Andie had from the moment this vicious take over had begun. Andie stooped low and the others followed suit as they huddled up together with the auburn furred squirrel and felt each and every one of their ears (except for Mole as he doesn't have ears) flatten worriedly against their heads.

A few raspy, shallow breaths thickened the apprehensive air that surrounded the small group of rodents and they felt themselves shrink into the smallest size possible as they heard these indistinct yelps. The skies lost most of its joyful hue as a pit of fear had settled into Andie's stomach as she held her arms out to protect the folk of he park if there was a silent anticipation inside her eyes as her lime green gaze never left the sky.

Her chest heaved hurriedly in and out as she felt as if her lungs could burst at any moment as she knew that if she kept her glance off the sky then it would most likely cause a painful and probable death.

Andie could hear the soft whimpers coming from the many park folk as she suddenly lifted her head in alarm at seeing Grayson hurry back towards them as he galloped as fast as his legs would go, running on all fours as he felt his ears dart forwards with the occasional screams.

"AHHH! STAY AWAY FROM THE BIRD NUTS!" Grayson yelled out as his eyes were very close to bulging out of his skull, his nostrils heaving out heavy breaths.

Nobody could see clearly but Grayson seemed to have been running away from something and the others had to squint their eyes at the small figures whom were becoming more visible by the second as they had their wings spread out. The realisation hit them harder than anything else that day as heavy, wet gasps escaped their throats without notice.

Falcon didn't come alone.

The athletic grey squirrel ran towards the right in hopes to steer the petrified creatures away from the incoming onslaught of birds. It worked as Andie looked at the dog whistle in deep thought, barely aware of the many creatures shoving passed her in hopes of catching the 'hero of the park' before he ran off too far.

"Let's follow Grayson!"

"C'mon."

"Our hero!"

The voices rang like bells but Andie looked down at the dog whistle with her quick-thinking mind absent for once as she blankly stared at the shiny object in deep thought.

Would this work on birds, she wondered, as she raised the pipe to her mouth and inhaled a deep breath as her lungs inflated. She raised her head a little as she took a deep breath in that was enough to make her chest point inwards before she blew through the pipe that was loud enough to make it squeal its high-pitched frequencies, hurting Precious in the process and she turned tails and ran away because of it.

Despite high hopes; Andie's whistle blowing failed to work as the birds sky dived down towards the pack of animals and the female squirrel instantly ran to stand between the birds and the little rodents but ducked before the sharp talons of a bird could harm her.

It wasn't a Falcon nor were any of these birds falcons like their leader was but they consisted in many kind of predators such as: Hawks, kestrels, Owls and all sorts but most of their forms were slightly silhouetted against the shading of the daytime sky. The shadows cast down from their gigantic army proved that Falcon had brought more help then he needed.

Although if he was taking over viciously then you would need a massive army that could easily outnumber the opponents.

Some of the fur on Andie's bushy tail was knicked as the razor sharp talons barely missed her whilst the Kestrel flown overhead, the female squirrel clutching the metal dog whistle to her chest as her eyes were screwed shut.

She awaited for the end as many thoughts crossed her mind and she could in vision many things she had wanted such as her wedding day to be not so hectic and to raise a family with Surly as tears started to well up inside her eyes but she didn't dare show the paralysing fear that froze her insides.

Andie opened her eyes as she heard some rough barks coming from only one creature she instantly recognised as she opened her lime green eyes to instantly see that Precious was protecting her by standing in front of the squirrel and snapping her jaws at the birds who dared to try and swoop down and get a single claw on the bride to be. Lifting her head, Andie picked herself off the ground and went to follow the others before they were far from view since while Liberty park was small to humans, to an animal that stood at 8 inches tall; the park was an enormous place.

Andie's broken heart pulsed inside her chest as she tried to catch up with the others towards the thicket but she also feared for Surly's life, not to mention the others. Her feet sprinted across the tall blades of green grass as she stood on her haunches to try and catch up with the other woodland animals. Each time the bottom pads of her feet touched the ground, it sent a chill of fear riding up the auburn squirrel's nimble spine as she felt the adrenaline running through her veins and screaming at her to keep running and to not look back.

She racked her intellectual brains for an answer to at least slow these things down so she wouldn't get herself caught when a highly familiar metal bucket caught her attention. Andie's eyes widened immensely as she recognised that thing!

It was the same metal bucket that Surly and Buddy had used in their past heists and it looked kind of more dented than usual as it laid on its side, being useless as it gave a soft 'Klink' noise merely in response to the winds pushing it towards one of its dented sides.

Andie skidded to a sudden halt right beside as turned on her feet slightly and aimed it over her shoulder.

It took a moment of sensing her surroundings but she threw at the horde and it worked to slow them down as the Barn owl it was tossed to had been hit in the stomach and therefore bowling the birds following the owl crash into his back and therefore, making many of the birds falling to the ground and drastically slowing them down by 30%.

Smirking cheekily, Andie ran off to meet up with the others.

She knew that devious streak buried within her would never leave and she was glad that she had it after many years of spending time with Surly, trying to convince him to not be selfish, but she still managed to get a few glimpses of how Surly and Buddy had expertly pulled off some admittedly cool moves.

It took a long few minutes of running towards the thicket but she had made it. Now, the clearing wasn't something impressive like some would expect. It was really a typical hideaway place where there was nests and basket-made beds to spare but there was also a decent storage place where food could be stored if needed. It also acted as a safe haven for situations such as this.

"Andie, you're safe!"

Andie looked towards Mole who instantly ran up to hug her. She gladly accepted.

The partially blind rodent wrapped his claws around the female squirrel and smiled as her arms returned the kindly hug as she basically enveloped the black furry rodent. She felt so content to be hugging a very familiar face as the warmth was enough to make her feel a little better. It was then that the other animals had noticed her arrival and overwhelmed her with questions, hugs and more questions.

"Brethren, guys, I'm fine. I really am!" Andie tried to shove away everyone who crowded around her away but to no avail. She took a few moments to look around but couldn't find Buddy, the Bruisers nor even Surly in the huge crowd that swarmed her.

Her gaze stared off into space as she felt her heart stop cold in place. She felt a drop inside her mind as she felt increasingly fearful for her mate to be as she continued to look around with no motion leaving her body.

The female auburn squirrel tried to speak and she bit her lip to try and ask without herself betraying the true extent of her horror. "Where's Surly and Buddy?"

Everyone stopped dead what they were doing as a long silence filled the entire thicket and this gave Andie the last answer she wanted to hear. Surly was either still fighting Falcon or he perished. The last thought made her heart thump heavily on the inside of her heart. Before she could even bear to hear an answer from anyone, her feet quickly broke into a sprint and she found herself running towards a small dark corner all whilst she cried her eyes out.

All the furry animals felt sympathetic towards Andie. Not only did that bird ruin her wedding day but he possibly might have killed her mate to be! But despite that, the others decided to leave her alone for awhile as they thought she didn't need the extra pressure.

Grayson, feeling that she did need the support, decided to go after her. As he carefully approached Andie, he could clearly see that this tore the female squirrel up worse then the last time she thought he was really dead but then again she was in utter denial and kind of knew that he would have survived that but this was depression on an entire new level. The athletic male squirrel frowned in determination. He needed to help her!

"...Andie?" Grayson took care as he very slowly proceeded to come nearer with his brilliant icy blue eyes soft and kind of caring. He sat beside her despite her grumbles of protest and anxiously watched the female squirrel. Tears slid down her cheeks as she stared at nothing but the wall in front of her as if it was a momentary distraction from the pain she felt within.

Grayson wriggled his nose and his misplaced whiskers bristled against each stroke of projecting hair as they rubbed. He gently laid a comforting paw upon her shoulder and tried to think of anything that could lift Andie's spirits.

He grinned a little at the thought of such a thing as Grayson removed his paw from the female squirrel's shoulder and adjusted his sitting position so he could look more heroically handsome in the light being shone in through the entrance, the sunlight beaming against his back to make him resemble a saint of some kind.

"Well, with me here you can be rest assured that I can help you feel better. Besides, its not too late to change you're mind and go with the hero." Grayson performed a dramatic pose as if to show off his strength and athletic abilities, a buck-toothed grin plastered upon his muzzle.

It turned into a frown when he saw that Andie was crying harder, firmer and now actually weeping. This had evolved into a grieving process, showing that she wasn't interested in him in that way.

Grayson sighed as another thought did cross his mind but he didn't want to risk sounding like a total sap! He looked at the sobbing auburn furred beauty who had the intellect of a super genius and the athletic skills of a heroin with his brows knitted together to make a anxious expression become painted upon his face.

Grayson's heart shattered for Andie as he wanted what was best for her yet at the same time he wanted his heart to belong to her. As she has feelings reserved for Surly; it wouldn't be relevant at the moment and he wanted nothing more than to give her a big hug and let her know that everything was going to be fine.

He sighed.

Laying his paw back upon the female red squirrel's auburn shoulder, Grayson gave a small smile as he softly stared at her crying form "Hey, I know Surly well enough that you shouldn't be the least bit worried." He rolled his eyes to look skywards as he muttered "..._Even if he is more of a sidekick next to me_..." He noticed the deathly glare he was receiving from the one he was comforting and quickly brushed it off as he continued "But he likes you to the point where he would give you all the nuts in the world if he could. He's a tough nut to crack and isn't easy to get rid of."

Andie finally turned her glance from the wall to the male adult squirrel whom was comforting her, looking a little hopeful.

It was working!

"It wouldn't even surprise me if Surly, the freaky rat and the Bruisers came through that entrance any second now!" Grayson exclaimed but found the words caught in his throat whenever a clear of the throat sounded from behind the touching scene. Both Andie and Grayson found that not only was Surly and the others alive but he was standing right _behind _them with his thin arms folded across his chest with a raised brow.

Excited, Andie rushed to her feet and instantly wrapped her arms lovingly around her husband to be. It appeared that Surly had been in a rough fight as his fur was all out of place and streaks of dirt covered that usually shiny, prune coloured fur coat he had adorned upon his body. The purple squirrel returned his wife to be's hug as they lovingly shared a tender moment.

Grayson nor the rest of the team could hide the sweet smiles upon their muzzles as they felt happy towards the reunited couple and decided not to ruin the adorable scene. It was then that Surly didn't want to peel away from his mate-to-be and felt his heart grow triple in size.

"I missed you, Surly..." Andie whispered through a fresh batch of tears trickling down her face from her lime green eyes. She felt Surly's tender loving arms stoke her back soothingly as she heard his murmured reply.

"I missed you too, Andie..."

Reluctantly, Surly slipped out of the red squirrel's loving embrace of affection and stepped towards the other residents whom all had displeased looks upon their muzzles as if they somewhat hated the fact that he survived.

Surly ignored the hostile glares, though, and spoke loud and clearly and gave an almost heart wrenching announcement "Alright, guys. I have some bad news-"

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!?" Redline, a mouse, exclaimed in his usual 'positive' self.

Surly gave a small growl from his throat at being cut off. He knew that the Park folk didn't trust him still and it was this lack of trust that made things harder for this! Feeling his voice titter over the edge of a frustrated growl, the male purple squirrel put a paw out towards the giant group in a gesture of urgency "What, no!" he glared "We're not gonna die. Its important that you guys hear this!"

"But how do we know that you're not lyin'?"

"Yeah! We'd feel better if Grayson was telling us this news."

Surly fought back the strong urge to threaten death upon each and every one of the creatures who didn't consist of his team. He was getting sick and tired of people putting him down but this was gravely important so he decided to do the logical course of action by getting Grayson to tell them whatever he needed to tell them, it wouldn't do any good to have the others question his truths or faults.

Gesturing a paw, Surly got Grayson to come over and the two male squirrels stood side by side. The entire group of rodent park dwellers sent a glare to Surly and watched the purple furred squirrel go behind Grayson and began whispering the information in the 'Park heroes' ear for him to repeat back loud enough for everyone else to actually listen.

Buddy, Jamie, the Twins and Andie watched intrigued as their eyes were wide from curiousity of what Surly was telling Grayson to tell the others.

"Hmmm...Falcon, whom was the con thief partner of our former leader Raccoon, has come to take over Liberty park and is threatening that unless we give all of our food supplies then he'll take it..." Grayson's face twisted up in confusion as he heard the whispers originating from Surly's lips mispronounce themselves due to his hearing malfunctioning temporarily "...By horse?"

Surly smacking his own forehead sounded from behind the Eastern grey squirrel. It was true when rumours said that some can have the IQ of tin foil and Grayson was the perfect example of that even if he surprisingly knew what the word 'flamboyant' meant.

Reapeating what he said in a sharp whisper, Surly stood on his tiptoes to make sure that Grayson could not mishear this as he was perfectly aware of the confused glances the pair were receiving.

"Oh. I mean 'By force'. Sorry, everyone; I thought that-" Grayson began but then his eyes widened immensely as he replayed exactly what he was just told back in his mind.

He put both his paws to his furry cheeks and screamed like a girl.

Surly stood before the multitude of furry rodents as they scrambled around in a noisy panic. His slouch and put out expression was enough to indicate that not only was he expecting this kind of reaction but he was also very annoyed that even still, the residents won't listen to him and think that Grayson was the hero all along.

Surly's heart sunk as he sadly walked into a room to be alone for awhile, his eyes downcast the entire time. Andie worriedly watched as the male squirrel walked into a nearby bed room that was designed specifically for Raccoon before his despicible betrayal.

She never saw Surly look so sad as he angrily muttered some stuff about how everyone was 'blind idiots' or something like that. The red squirrel female decided to tail Surly as Buddy followed suit and the two cast each other a small look before back to the door where the former thief had just entered.

It was clear that a talk needed to be had.

* * *

**A/N: At least Surly's alive and stuff. How does Surly know all this and why does Falcon and Surly have a burning hatred towards each other? Stay tuned and find out the answers! **

**Sorry if Surly's out of character so far in this story but I'm just trying to bring a unique tale like the creators of the actual film would make. As I've mentioned before, this is my take on The nut job sequel. **

**Will Surly explain everything in the next chapter? Again, find out! **

**Please review. **

**-Chloemcg**


	5. 5: Negotiation

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters of Nutjob but I do own the villain, Falcon. I own the plot too.**

**Before it's too late.**

* * *

Surly laid curled up inside a small nest that fit snugly around his slender body, his eyes lidded over the top half of his eyeballs tiredly as he winced from the straw that made the nest poking at his newl scratches that had been adorned over a good portion of his body, especially his legs. Surly couldn't be bothered to even move as he was tired and he was also mildly irritated.

If it wasn't for that bird of prey then he would have been a happily married squirrel right about now and more! that thought alone made him feel misty eyed.

The small hidey hole of the thicket had enabled Surly to squeeze through the tight space to crawl into the room and he had hid in here for the past 5 minutes. Surly heard a soft voice from behind him that made him lift his head slightly.

"...Surly?"

At the mention of his own name, the purple furred rodent lifted his head and looked towards the source to discover that Andie was standing right behind him along with Buddy and the both of them looked worried. The dim lighting allowed within the safety of the thicket made the scene more saddening. The trio looked at each other with a feeling of slight concern burrowing within their souls and the rodents couldn't feel more sad that Falcon had crashed the wedding in such a way.

Even though he bolted up into a standing position: he tried to hide the scratches that now adorned his legs even if the attempt was poor as his plum, bushy tail curled up around his legs and bundled his ankles up in fuzziness. Surly's eyes were wide for a moment or two before he relaxed a little bit. He knew he had a lot of explaining to do and wouldn't dare let it show nor allow Andie to fret about his injuries.

"A-Andie...I didn't hear you or Buddy come in!" Surly stuttered as he made it blatantly obvious that he was indeed concealing something but he told the truth when he mentioned that he didn't hear either of them set foot into the room. When he was sulking somewhere, he was usually oblivious to everything happening around him unless the signs consisted in loud sounds to snap anyone out of their daze. The squirrel sunk down to his knees in embarrassment as he realised that he was accidently showing the wounds he had sustained.

Andie took care as she approached Surly and made him sit back in the nest so she could examine the scratches he took clearly by battling Falcon. From what the female red squirrel could see, her mate to be suffered a lot by the talons of Falcon in more ways than one and it wasn't just physical either.

"Surly," Andie took a deep breath as he thought of a way to ask this without rubbing salt deeper into his emotional wounds "I couldn't help but notice that you seemed to have a strange vendetta against that bird..."

Surly looked up at Andie with eyes full of surprise but it was clear that the memories of his past haunted him for years. They say that eyes are a window to the soul and if that was translated into a literal sense, it would have revealed a giant hole of agony in his childhood. He looked down with stern eyes as he muttered underneath his breath "I don't wanna talk 'bout it, Andie."

Andie scrunched her brows against her lime green eyes to paint a look of slight persistent irritation upon her face. She wasn't one to give up and if looks could kill then he might have dropped dead right on the spot within a nanosecond of seeing her expression change! Surly tried to avoid the stern gaze his bride to be gave him but it was transparently clear that it was just a bite sized piece away from being impossible as he kept his saddened gaze locked upon his scratched up legs.

Buddy watched on in sympathy as he tried to keep tears from sliding down his face at seeing Surly so troubled. Not even he knew about Surly's past and he was his best friend/partner so should know everything about him! Of course, trying to keep a straight face, he sucked his sadness up and tried to stay strong for Surly even if his heart was tearing at the seams.

Surly kept his gaze on his legs until Andie made him look up at her whilst giving him a begging look, her paws resting against his cheeks as they stared at each other intently. Surly let out a long sigh as he decided to tell her about his history with that bird but not in full detail.

"That beast killed my dad, made me an orphan, scarred me for life and its because of that thing that I'm the miserable wreck you see before you today..."

Andie could tell that Surly _really _disliked talking about his past by the bitterly sour tone of voice he used but she decided to try and help him out of this depression. She rested a gentle paw on her husband to be's shoulder and she smiled a little at the fact that it became a little less tense beneath her touch, her expression caring and well meaning.

She bent down in front of him and met Surly at eye level as she asked him with a wise voice "Well do you think I would be marrying that 'miserable wreck' if I didn't see something adorable inside him?"

Surly looked at her with his mouth agape. Does Andie REALLY want to stick by her no matter what despite the wedding set back? He actually couldn't help but smile as he tenderly enveloped her into a loving hug whilst resting his chin upon her shoulder. He felt his used to be stone heart melt into a pile of sloppy mush as he never loved her as much as he did right now. Both their tails coiled around each other automatically to make a heart shape with the tips of their bushy tails touching.

The darkened, depressing atmosphere made this scene all the more sweet and tender as the two squirrels shared this nice moment together in each other's embrace. Even though they weren't husband and wife yet they refused to let it get them down and if Andie wasn't willing to give up then Surly most definitely wasn't!

Buddy scuttled over towards the reed doors and pointed out towards the entrance with a wide eyed look full of concern. The rats facial expressions wasn't enough to point out how worried for the park he was deep down inside but both Surly and Andie could tell that the rat worried about this matter deeply. He decided to leave the pair alone in the small clearing belonging within the thicket and went to calm the residents down.

Surly parted from the warm embrace and flinched from the scratches of his legs hurting a little. He saw the concern within Andie's like green eyes and her expression spoke louder than words ever could to the purple rodent as he clamped both her paws within his own to comfort her and decrease her worries as he assured her "Don't worry, I'll find out what Falcon will do in order to leave us alone so we can continue the wedding and everything will be as you dreamed it would..."

Before Andie could object, Surly craned his neck forwards and pecked her cheek before getting down on all fours and running out but he was clearly sore.

Andie just stared out worriedly after her mate to be as she prayed that he and Buddy would end up alright and that Surly could keep his promise. She was more worried than ever.

Surly boldly walked through the darkened yet empty long blades of green pastures of the park. They used to be so calm and blew so softly in the wind to crisply crackle against his ears to greet him with an autumn sound each time near Halloween. Who knew that now he would actually be intimidated by it?

Buddy walked alongside his best friend as he watched the sky repeatedly and he saw the army Falcon had brought with him. It appeared that whatever Surly had for hating Falcon that the bird had more of a reason to hate and plunder their one peaceful world into darkness...He gulped.

The rat nervously sniffed the darkened air but continued trying to be brave.

The two knew that they were about to enter the dragons den. This would either be the end of them or maybe just be the start of a long life of suffering and pain but whatever it was...neither of them liked it in the least as the stormy skies loomed overhead and brought the darkest downpour of rain imaginable as it pelted against the pair of friend's slender bodies.

The tree Falcon reigned from was easy to distinguish from the fact that a shadow hung around inside and the sound of shouts and squawks sounded from within.

Buddy and Surly both flinched as they spared each other a nervous look, feeling their hearts beat unevenly with each step closer to that demonic bird. It took forever but they made it and Surly fearlessly stepped up and announced his presence even though his voice was quivering a little to give away how frightened he was.

"Falcon, we've come to negotiate a deal."

The word 'negotiate' felt like acid in Surly's own voice as that word and Falcon made a volatile combination but this was for the good of the park so he had to do it.

He watched as Falcon emerged from his stronghold with his leering eyes glowing with interest and swooped down in front of the two of them. Both Surly and Buddy took a shaky step back with both their eyes never leaving the bird of prey. Although neither of them would admit it, they were both terrified.

A grim smile spreading across his beak, Falcon asked with a very bitterly sweet voice "You have come to talk, eh? What about small fry?" He leaned close towards Surly whom only glared daggers into his own eyes.

Despite the growing urge to rip his eyes out with his bare paws, Surly continued trying to remain civil even though he was noticeably seething through a sour voice "We can't give ya our food supply since we don't have enough to sustain ourselves."

"Boo Hoo, cry me a river..." Falcon grinned mockingly as he turned his back and went to fly back up to his perch when Surly hesitantly reached an arm out to halt him.

"But we came to ask if there was something else ya wanted instead?" The purple squirrel asked, warranting a look from Buddy as if to ask 'Are you crazy!?' which Surly had to ignore.

An eerie shady atmosphere dropped on the three as silence befell each and everyone of them. Somehow, all Surly and Buddy could notice right now was how the grass was feeling beneath their feet; It was a little sharp, that was certain, but it felt much nicer to concentrate upon then the wicked smile that grew upon Falcons beak that moment. Buddy had to bite his bottom lip worriedly as his ears drooped.

Falcon walked back towards them as he all at once grabbed Surly by the neck in his strong talon, strangling Surly in the process.

This reminded both Surly and Buddy of the last big heist they pulled when Raccoon had tried to kill the prune furred squirrel by throwing him out of a moving vehicle. This reminded the both of them of that gruesome time all too well as Surly felt all the colour beneath his fur drain until his skin looked as white as a ghost and his fur looked much more pale.

Surly tried to grab at his own neck and force the falcon to release him but he knew that one attempt could spell the end for the park.

Falcon pressed his sharp beak against the choking squirrel's nose with that same evil smirk plastered upon his menacing beak "You want to know what I would want instead?"

The grip around Surly's neck tightened a lot to the point of turning his already pale white skin a deeper shade of blue as if to make him more of a chameleon purple squirrel more than anything.

Buddy tried to rush forwards and help his friend but Surly held an arm out to him to stop him whilst shaking his head towards him, making the rat stand down with a sad expression. It broke the squirrel's heart to see the crestfallen look on Buddy's cute little face as his big eyes were close to watering with tears and it appeared that even the downpour of the rain disliked the scene of the beloved purple squirrel suffering as the spitting rain became more harder.

He hung basically limp as Surly tried to jerk around to free himself but he wasn't even prepared for what the answer was.

"I only require proof and more food to be gathered, rodent, that is all."

Surly's eyes widened into saucers as his mouth was agape slightly from the news. What did the falcon mean by 'proof?' as he knew about the food problem but not at all about the proof that was needed. He was expecting something a little more...diabolical than that. Surly was slowly lowered to his feet as Falcon decided to clarify whilst pacing around with that despicable glint within his eye that he always hated.

"I would like to see you prove to the park residents that I have done all those things you say," Falcon continued "to prove to them that you are still not that lying sneak thief you used to be."

"And what if I refuse?" Surly asked with that bitter tone taking control again, abandoning the civil voice.

Falcon had a intimidating glimmer inside his eyes. Surly regretted asking as the bird of prey decided to threaten something very dear to him.

"If you do not do it then I shall crush that lovely little mate to be of yours..."

* * *

**A/N: Dun-Dun-Duuuun! Cliffhanger! **

**Oh dear Falcon seems to really hate Surly for whatever reason. Sorry it took a bit long to update, I knew where to go but didn't know how to write it. I hope that this long chapter more than makes up for it, though. **

**If you have any suggestions than feel free to put them in reviews or something.**

**Thanks! **

**-Chloemcg**


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